Author, columnist, broadcaster, funny bird.

She’s back!

….OK, so this has been a long absence. A REALLY long absence. An absence so long, in fact, that geologists with their little hammers and measury things will dig bits of it up one day name a Period after it, like the Procrastinatic Period, or the Lazyarse Period or, if I may so bold as to suggest one myself, the Really Fucking Depressed Period.

Aaaanyway, whatever it’s called I can only apologise to you lovely people who read this blog and have been wondering where the heck I’ve gone, and offer by way of explanation the fact that, basically…well….let’s just say it’s been a pants time, and I’ve been feeling pants, and writing pants, and, you’ll be relieved to hear, wearing pants most of the time. Clean ones mostly.
And now, finally, those four L-O-N-G months of unrelenting, soul-sapping pants (now there’s a concept for LaSenza to work on…. “Hi. One pair of soul-sapping pants please, in red satin. Do you do soul-sapping bras, too?…”) have passed and I feel the time has come to get back to this Goddamn keyboard and start producing something.
Like, you know, words and stuff.

Because ‘pants’ is only bearable for so long, before it becomes boring and pointless. Like, say, football. (ahem…)

The point IS that I’m back, folks, and writing again, and loving it. (Somewhere in the distance I can hear fireworks going off. Or maybe it’s the local yoofs kicking the rubbish bins. But I like to think it’s fireworks.)

And, as a person who likes to give credit where it’s due just as much as I feel it’s right to slam criticism where it’s deserved, I’d like to say a big thank you to those close friends of mine – who know who they are – for drinking copious quantities of cheap wine with me over the last few months while I cried every twenty-five seconds, blew my snotty nose into wet scraps of Costa Coffee tissue paper, lost weight without even trying (an inexcuseable thing for a friend to do) and was about as much fun as an infected genital wart.

And secondly I want to thank Nicole for posting two messages on my website recently, the first asking ‘How are you?’ and the second, ‘Where are you?!’
Now, I don’t know Nicole, and perhaps Nicole isn’t even Nicole, but James, or Claire or my agent in disguise trying to get me to shift my arse and do some work. I’ll never know. What I DO know, is that sometimes we writers need a sign that someone out there does care, and does want to read what we write.
And that it’s just not OK to sit about feeling blue and pants and generally very shite, and not producing anything when kind, appreciative people are waiting for it.

So, Nicole, and Chrissie, and all the rest of you who have got in touch via the website, or my agent or Twitter or by pigeon post during this monumentally unpleasant down time, I thank you from the bottom of my writing heart. I’m through with pants, and I’ve started, at long, long last, to write my novel.
Sometimes you have to be pushed to dark places to create the brightest material. And I think I’m ready now.

At the very least I owe it to my beloved Granny, whose sudden, unexpected death in March came as such a massive blow to me and my family and triggered this empty spell, to Keep Calm and Carry On. She of all people would have stood for none of this navel-gazing and moping: she didn’t know HOW to feel sorry for herself. I’ll take a leaf out of the book she wrote with me (A Spoonful of Sugar) and, to paraphrase slightly, get my bloody arse in gear.

It’s good to be back. Thanks for waiting. More little blogs to come…
Liz xx

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7 thoughts on “She’s back!”

Hi Liz! Welcome back, although I have to admit I’ve only just started reading it, in fact, I only stumbled across it recently from reading your website. Sorry to hear you’ve had a bad time of it lately, I guess It’s just another chapter that will make you stronger, in an unfortunate kind of way! I’m finding things a little tough at the mo myself, we have a 2 and a half year old son (Joseph-Alex) who is great and in the words of our full-time childminder, “an example to other children his age”, which makes me think we’re doing something right 🙂 But my hubby works in London through the week (We actually live in Liverpool), and he has done for just over a year now, he works in the Construction industry and obviously with the credit crunch, he had to just go where the work was. It was tough at firts, but got a little easier, then very tough throughout Joseph-Alex’s terrible two stage 😉 But now we are 6 months pregnant with our 2nd little boy, and I’ve just been diagnosed with pregnancy-anaemia, so am feeling soooo exhausted at the minutes 😦 I work full-time, in a job I love, and never like to feel or admit I am struggling but do actually feel like I am slightly. I know I’ll be fine and this phase will probably pass (when the DR gives me some iron tablets that actually do work!) but trying my best to just stay positive, stay on top of things and keep thinking about what we’ll have at the end of September 🙂 As I mentioned in my previous post though, I picked up your book, Yummy Mummy’s Survival Guide in Mamas and Papas, whilst shopping for the new pram (the new Urbo may I add!) and as soon as I started reading, I was captured straight away! I’m not a heavy reader, although I do like my chic-lit’s; Sophie Kinsella, Sarah Rayner, and the like, and had been looking for a book which would help me relate to in my ‘mummy’ kind of way! The book was great, so many moments where I nodded my head in agreement, laughed with memories of going through the same thing and felt that, hey, I’m not the only one, I’m not the only one who has moments where I feel like I’m doing a terrible job or my son hates me because he adores his daddy so much! That’s why I’m really looking forward to reading the next, It’s been a full week though and It’s still not been delivered, damn you PLay.com ha ha! It would be good to hear one or all of your labour stories and if you had any nightmare ones! I was in for 57 hours with Joseph-Alex, 2 failed epidurals, and eventually an emergency C-Section for numerous reasons…why am I having another one again?! 🙂 I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on your blog now though, I don’t tend to follow blogs and am not a great internet user, but my I-Phone will keep me updated 🙂 Take care and let me know if you do decide to set up that Facebook fan page! Chrissie x

Welcome Back Liz. I actually started reading your blog during your absence and I have been wondering where you were. I actually thought of writing a “where are you Liz” message a few times but figured that you might be having a low period (as we all do), and thought it best not to nag at you for more of your fab writing. I wish that I had written now so that you could know that you were being missed. I think that you are amazing. Your writing has had such a positive impact on my view of family life and myself as a mother. I will always be grateful. Keep up the good work.

Dear Liz, Trying to type something profound and witty to you but have my daughter wanting me to dress her Gemma doll, suitcases to unpack, a messy house to clean and in-laws due to arrive. Chaos as usual. I’ve been away for a few days and returned to an overflowing inbox. Amongst it all – yours is the email I wanted to reply to straight away. Thank god you’re writing again. Pick yourself up and get back into it. I for one am greedy to gobble up your next book. This time will pass and I’m so sorry I didn’t leave a message for you on your Blog. I was checking but didn’t want to put pressure on you to keep posting. Love in spades to you. So sorry to hear about your Granny’s death. It must be of great comfort to you that she got to see your amazing book before she died. xx